Who is Mr. Oriole to you?

[Tony-OH]

21 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

It's going to take a lot of explaining to make sense of a guy holding a monkey standing next to an Oriole mascot that appears to have been made as part of a 4th grade art project.

I was thinking the same thing. First, I thought that bird must have given children nightmares. Then I was like, "Hold up, why the hell is that guy randomly holding a monkey next to the bird?"

[Tony-OH]

By the way, my personal all-time favorite Orioles:

1) Brooks Robinson
2) Eddie Murray
3) Cal Ripken (as a player)
4) Manny Machado (as a player)
5) Ken Singleton

[Frobby]

4 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

By the way, my personal all-time favorite Orioles:

1) Brooks Robinson
2) Eddie Murray
3) Cal Ripken (as a player)
4) Manny Machado (as a player)
5) Ken Singleton

Mine are:

1.A. Frank Robinson 

1. B.  Eddie Murray

3.  Mike Mussina (while he was here)

4.  Brooks Robinson

5.   Jim Palmer

All, as you say, as players.    

[Palmoripken]

As a kid, my favorite player was Cal. I came of age after Murray was traded to the Dodgers. I really thought I had answered this question seven years ago but perhaps I just said Brooks in the discussion in it on another thread or that I thought that Brooks despite Cal being my childhood baseball idol was the answer here. I think seven years later and it's still Brooks. Brooks hasn't played for the Orioles since 1977 but he was still present at the Hyde presser. I gotta give some honorable mention to Jim Palmer here too guys. Palmer has been with the franchise in some shape or form I think for the past 50 plus years uninterrupted. It's not quite what Vin Scully was to the Dodgers but between a HoF career pitching and I think a very good career in the booth, Palmer is definitely underrated as an Orioles lifer. I love Cal as a player and I always will and I'll always cherish my memories of watching 2131 on TV or the day I finally did get Cal's autograph 12 years ago not long after he got inducted to the HoF but the answer is Brooks to me. Anyhow in the past ten years, my favorite Oriole was first Nick Markakis because he stood out as a good player on some bad teams and then it became Adam Jones because he played the game with a lot of joy and he did a lot for the Baltimore community and I enjoyed watching Adam go from the centerpiece of the Bedard deal to the best Orioles CF if not in my lifetime but possibly overall too with apologies to Brady and the late Paul Blair.  I don't know who my new favorite will be. I'm disapointed that Davis has turned out to be such a bust on his FA deal but I'll always remember him coming up big in that long 2012 game against the Sox and then getting Adrian Gonzales to ground into a double play doing emergency pitching duty at Fenway in Easter 2012 or was that Mother's Day? 

[TonySoprano]

On 10/8/2012 at 5:14 PM, TonySoprano said:

Brooks retired from baseball 35 years ago. His World Series heroics were 42 years ago, and by then most of his prime years were behind him. Unless you're close to 50 or older, it's likely you don't have many vivid memories of Brooks' everyday career outside of the highlight films. Cal is about a year older than me, and I watched him play literally thousands of times more than I saw Brooks. Therefore, even at my age, Brooks is more of a sentimental choice, but if you have ever met him, as I have numerous times, he's also an easy choice to make. I say that even though I have enjoyed all the times that I've met Cal. I've said it many times before, but it bears repeating, there is no finer person, ballplayer or otherwise, than Brooks.

Although this zombie thread was brought back to life, my opinion hasn't changed in 6+ years, and won't 

1A Brooks
1B Cal
3 Palmer
4 Mussina
5 ManNY

 

[DrungoHazewood]

1. Doug DeCinces

2. Cal

3. Eddie

4. Manny

5. (tie) Every single other person who appeared for even one at bat on the '89 and '12 Orioles, even Lew Ford

[SteveA]

2 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

1. Doug DeCinces

2. Cal

3. Eddie

4. Manny

5. (tie) Every single other person who appeared for even one at bat on the '89 and '12 Orioles, even Lew Ford

No, you can't have Keith Moreland on your list.   You have to amend #5 to exclude him.

[Just Regular]

It's Eddie for me - he threaded the needle after Brooks and before Cal such that my loyalties got set in those prime Ages 6-8.

I do want to give Palmer credit and appreciation for raising his resume here with the many fine years of broadcasting work.  I see him as our Yogi Berra - not the greatest ever, but spanning the generations and part of the most team championships of anyone.  All, in Palmer's case.

I never knew Brooks as a player, and have never been as Cal-keen as most of my friends growing up.  In the balancing act between individuality and community that is life, I've generally had the sense Cal is more about Team Ripken than Team Orioles.  I suppose that's inevitable because they had to fire his dad.  I don't think Cal's Orioles story is necessarily finished, and thought his LionTree partnership starting this summer was very interesting as a potential embryonic ownership group in case the Angeloses ever decide to sell.  But I don't expect him to ever show the team the kind of love Palmer does year in and year out unless he gets to own.

[DrungoHazewood]

2 hours ago, SteveA said:

No, you can't have Keith Moreland on your list.   You have to amend #5 to exclude him.

Okay, not Moreland.  But I'm keeping everyone else.  Even Dana Eveland!

[weams]

1 hour ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Okay, not Moreland.  But I'm keeping everyone else.  Even Dana Eveland!

Zombie Athletic Dude:

"You Don't trade for Dana Eveland."

[Rene88]

Brooks

Cal

 

 

No love for Murray, Frank or AJ? Hmmmmm....weird! 

[Frobby]

7 minutes ago, Rene88 said:

Brooks

Cal

 

 

No love for Murray, Frank or AJ? Hmmmmm....weird! 

I see what you are implying there, but I think you’re misunderstanding this thread, originated October 8, 2012.    It was a reaction to Cal saying Beltre was the best defensive 3B he’d ever seen, “sorry Brooks.”    So this was a contest between Cal and Brooks only.  

On top of that, if you were going to pick “Mr. Oriole” it would be one of the two guys who played 20+ years for this franchise and never played anywhere else.    My two favorite O’s were Frank and Eddie, but I wouldn’t pick either as “Mr. Oriole.”    

[Rene88]

2 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I see what you are implying there, but I think you’re misunderstanding this thread, originated October 8, 2012.    It was a reaction to Cal saying Beltre was the best defensive 3B he’d ever seen, “sorry Brooks.”    So this was a contest between Cal and Brooks only.  

On top of that, if you were going to pick “Mr. Oriole” it would be one of the two guys who played 20+ years for this franchise and never played anywhere else.    My two favorite O’s were Frank and Eddie, but I wouldn’t pick either as “Mr. Oriole.”    

For me, Brooks and not even close. Humble and his defense was art. 

For me, personally:

Brooks

Palmer

Cal

Eddie

AJ

Dempsey

 

 

[OFFNY]

7 minutes ago, Frobby said:

 

I see what you are implying there, but I think you’re misunderstanding this thread, originated October 8, 2012.    It was a reaction to Cal saying Beltre was the best defensive 3B he’d ever seen, “sorry Brooks.”    So this was a contest between Cal and Brooks only.  

On top of that, if you were going to pick “Mr. Oriole” it would be one of the two guys who played 20+ years for this franchise and never played anywhere else.    My two favorite O’s were Frank and Eddie, but I wouldn’t pick either as “Mr. Oriole.”    

 

o

 

Maybe Jim Palmer.

In addition to having had a very long and extremely distinguished Orioles career as a player, the guy has been one of the best color commentators that I have seen/heard in my many years of watching sports ........ and part of my admiration for Palmer as a color commentator is his willingness to necessarily rip into the Orioles if he deems it appropriate.

 

o

[Frobby]

2 minutes ago, Rene88 said:

For me, Brooks and not even close. Humble and his defense was art. 

For me, personally:

Brooks

Palmer

Cal

Eddie

AJ

Dempsey

 

 

I think Palmer has a pretty good case, once you throw in his broadcasting career.    But in the public eye he’s still no. 3 at best.   

AJ is probably “Mr. 21st Century Oriole.”    Until someone leads us to a ring.